SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, STAFFORDSHIRE.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he is satisfied that
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the present regulations of the Staffordshire County Council with reference to the summer school holiday period are justified by the present conditions on the hopfields in Worcestershire and Herefordshire; and whether he has any observations to make on the summonses recently served on parents in South Staffordshire who have been forced to absent their children from school by reason of their service in the hopfields?

The settlement of the dates of the holidays of public elementary schools is a matter entirely within the discretion of the local education authority, who are familiar with the circumstances and needs of their area. As regards the latter part of the question, my Noble Friend is not in a position to make any comments.